Our Story
The Center for Trauma & Stress Education (CTSE) was founded to bring evidence-based, practical tools for healing to the communities and organizations that need them most.
Our work began with a research and training collaboration born at Harvard Medical School between Drs. Cynthia Kaplan, Alan Fruzzetti, and Luciana Payne, and has since grown into a national effort, facilitated by acclaimed trainer and consultant Ryan Oelrich, to support teams facing the everyday and extraordinary impacts of stress and trauma.
Today, CTSE serves nonprofits, schools, healthcare providers, and mission-driven companies through accessible, trauma-informed education designed to foster resilience, restore connection, and strengthen communities.
Learn more about how and why we developed the STEP Course (4min.)
Hear from the Creators
CTSE In Action
The Stress & Trauma Education Program (STEP)
The Leadership Education & Action Program (LEAP)
Custom Consultation
You’re in Good Company:
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United Federation of Teachers
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Thrive International
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United States Navy
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Eastern Washington University
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Spokane Public Library
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NYC Office of Labor Relations
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Catholic Charities
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YWCA
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Girl Scouts
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Salvation Army
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Providence Health Services
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Volunteers of America
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Brown University
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Fairchild Airforce Base
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Pacific Northwest Fire Marshals
Why Our Trainings Works
At CTSE, we don’t just offer mental health trainings, we deliver programs rooted in proven frameworks and informed by decades of behavioral science. Each module draws on evidence-based practices that have been shown to reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and foster resilient communities.
Proven Interventions
Our trainings uses methods drawn from psychology and behavioral health with tools proven effective in clinical, workplace, and community settings.
Practical Application
We focus on real-word relevance by turning theory into actionable skills your team will actually use.
Trauma-Informed
Our approach prioritizes emotional safety and inclusivity, recognizing and responding to the impact of trauma on individuals and groups.
Ongoing Evaluation
We continuously improve our trainings using participant feedback and outcome tracking to ensure lasting impact and value over time.
When it comes to supporting your team’s productivity and resilience, you deserve more than a checkbox solution. Our trainings are grounded in what works: real interventions, real results, and real care. If you're ready to bring lasting change to your organization, we're here to help.
Curious?
Meet the Founders
Dr. Alan E. Fruzzetti
Dr. Alen E. Fruzzetti is an internationally recognized leader in program development, research, teaching and supervision in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In addition to his work as co-founder of the Center for Trauma and Stress Education, he is Director of Training in Family Services and a senior DBT supervisor for 3East programs at McLean Hospital. He received his B.A. from Brown University and M.S. & Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle. He is professor emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno and faculty at HMS/McLean Hospital. Dr. Fruzzetti has adapted and implemented DBT for multiple underserved populations and developed many successful DBT programs for people with BPD, related problems with emotion regulation, stress and trauma, and programs for couples, parents, and families. His research focuses on the connections between severe individual distress/disorders and interpersonal/family processes, and their interplay with emotion dysregulation.
Dr. Fruzzetti is Past President of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder and on the Board of Directors for the DBT Board of Certification and World DBT Association. He has authored over 125 research and clinical papers, monographs, manuals and book chapters, two books, and is the editor of the Guilford DBT Practice series. He has lectured and trained professionals and the public in more than twenty-five countries. Alan is the co-creator of the free/open access NEA-BPD Family Connections programs for parents, partners, and other loved ones of people with BPD, trauma related to suicide attempts and related problems, and for parents with trauma. He has testified for Congressional committees about problems related to suicide and has received many honors for research, teaching, and for community service, and is married with four children.
Dr. Cynthia Kaplan
Dr. Cynthia Kaplan, received her Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology from Fordham University and attended New York University for post-graduate studies. Dr. Kaplan has worked for over 25 years at McLean Hospital where she is currently the Director of Trauma Training and Consultation in the Child and Adolescent Services and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kaplan has four children and lives with her husband in Boston.
For over two decades, Dr. Kaplan has focused her clinical work on issues involving trauma and has worked extensively with patients suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has recently co-written and released a book focusing on the identification and impact of childhood sexual abuse, “Fighting Back: What an Olympic Champion’s Story Can Teach Us about Recognizing and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse-and Helping Kids Recover” In addition, she has been involved for over a decade in the development of new programs for adolescents with high risk and suicidal behaviors as well as in teaching, research and training and has published and spoken extensively on the topic of childhood trauma.
Dr. Luciana Payne
Dr. Luciana Payne, is a Clinical Psychologist at McLean Hospital and Instructor at Harvard Medical School, where she works in both research and clinical practice. She specializes in working with parents, couples and families using Dialectical Behavior Therapy. She received her doctoral degree at the University if Nevada-Reno, and completed her post-doctoral training at McLean Hospital/Harvard University. She has extensive training and experience in cognitive behavioral treatments, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as exposure-based treatments for trauma and stress related problems.
Her research includes development and evaluation of new programs and interventions for families. Dr. Payne is one of the co-creators of Family Connections- Managing Suicidality and Trauma Recovery, a program for parents of suicidal and self-injuring youth, a program of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA-BPD), and has trained extensively in this program as well as other interventions with parents, couples and families. Dr. Payne is a member of the Board of Directors for both the NEA-BPD and the Center for Trauma and Stress Education.
Meet the Staff
Ryan Oelrich
Ryan Oelrich, our Executive Director and Lead Facilitator, is a highly regarded mental health trainer and facilitator having trained thousands of professionals since 2008. He’s shared his work, recovery, and stories at conferences nationally and internationally, and is a national leader in Peer Support. He’s served in government as a City Council member for the City of Spokane, Washington and formerly worked as a certified peer counselor. He’s developed mental health curriculum used by Washington State, and he’s given several TED talks. He is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Fellow and has an MA in Leadership and an MBA. Ryan was awarded the Peirone Prize for service in 2016 and has received congressional recognition for his work on poverty and homelessness issues.
Also an artist, Oelrich built a life size model of a Hobbit house in Spokane, Washington which serves as his office. Oelrich has founded 3 nonprofits focused on youth issues, and he’s an advocate for increased collaboration and coordination which was the subject of one of his TED talks.
Jacob Beye
Jacob Beye, serves as our Marketing & Communications Lead. With a multidisciplinary background spanning corporate, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial ventures, Jacob brings a dynamic and mission-driven approach to brand development and outreach.
Prior to joining CTSE, Jacob has had a diverse set of work and life experiences across the world. His early career included staff training and customer experience leadership at Apple in Australia, followed by founding and scaling startup ventures in hospitality and sexual health. He developed a successful restaurant concept, contributed to a documentary production team at the Shaolin Temple in China, and had a rich tenure in operations and development at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest. A strong advocate for trauma-informed workplace practices, Jacob also brings expertise in digital marketing, public relations, and strategic communication.
Outside of his professional work, Jacob is a lifelong skier and part-time instructor, a dedicated yoga practitioner, and a board member for Spokane Pride. He is deeply committed to compassion, equity, and advancing human rights.
Who are the Trainers?
Ryan Oelrich
Dr. Cynthia Kaplan
Dr. Luciana Payne
Our Partners
CTSE partnered with Priority Spokane, a nonprofit leader in Washington State, to develop and evaluate the Stress and Trauma Education Program during the pandemic. As part of our evaluation and improvement process, Priority Spokane and its 27 member organizations delivered over 60 STEP programs to organizations across Washington State while collecting pre and post feedback surveys helping further develop the material and implementation.
Community Partner
Founding Partner
Get Started
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Direct Contact
(401)-330-0442
info@ctseprograms.org
